Drunk Driver Strikes 8 Navy Pedestrians

In late April, a drunk driver was coming down Perdido Key Drive in Pensacola when he struck eight pedestrians with his Infiniti. It was a Saturday night at about 8:15, and the eight pedestrians, all Navy servicemen on liberty, were stationed at Pensacola Naval Air Station. Luckily, none of the victims suffered life-threatening injuries.

However, seven of the eight men hit did suffer some kind of injury, and were transported to local hospitals. One of them was listed in critical condition, five had serious injuries and one had minor injuries. After the incident, it seemed as if the driver was going to flee, so a bystander stepped in to make sure that could not happen.

According to reports, the witness saw the accident happen and ran over to help the victims. However, he noticed the driver seemed like he was going to drive away, so the bystander detained him until law enforcement arrived. The witness said the driver seemed intoxicated and disoriented.

Officers from the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office arrived, and then the investigation was taken over by the Florida Highway Patrol. They conducted field sobriety tests on the driver, who allegedly had bloodshot eyes and a strong odor of alcohol on his breath. He failed the sobriety tests and taken into custody. A blood alcohol test administered about five hours later showed the driver had a blood alcohol content of 0.093.

The driver has been charged with driving under the influence causing seriously bodily injury. The incident is still under investigation. A day after the accident, the driver was released on a $40,000 bond.

Accidents involving drunk drivers are often some of the deadliest on Florida’s roads, since an intoxicated generally has very delayed reaction times. If you have been injured in a drunk driving accident in Pensacola, contact our attorneys today for a free, no-obligation consultation.